Valve-gear.



J. HAMILTON.

VALVE GEAR.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 30. m5.

Patented Mar. 27,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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VALVE GEAR. APPLICATION HLED SEPT.30| 1915- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 4444 A TTORNEYS Patented Mar. 27,1917.

' INVENTOR 61 M.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. r

JAMES HAMILTON, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HAMILTON HAMMER COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VALVE-GEAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Gears, of which the follow ing is a specification. v

This invention relates to certain improvements in valve gears, and relates particularly to valve gears adapted for use in power hammers operated by fluid pressure.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a simple valve gear adapted to be operated directly by the reciprocal piston to which is connected the piston rod and the hammer head or ram.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve gear in which the inlet and exhaust of the power fluid is controlled by valves, the said valves being connected together and operated through cams arranged I in the path of the piston within the power cylinder.

A valve constructed in accordance with my invention consists of very few simple parts well adapted to withstand the very great strains and' rough usage to which power hammers are subjected when in operation.

The invention is applicable to slide valves and rotary valves, and is so shown in the drawings and described herein.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a power hammer provided with my improved valve gear arranged to operate slide valves;

Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of the cylinder and'valve chest;

Fig.3, a transverse sectional view thereof through one of the slide valves;

Fig. 4, a horizontal sectional view through the ram or hammer head taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1

Fig. 5, a side elevation of a power hammer provided with my valve gear arranged to operate a rotary valve;

,Fig. 6, a vertical sectional View of the cylinder and valve chest shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7, a transverse sectional view on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8, a vertical sectional view of the valve chest shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Power hammers of the type illustrated in the drawings are frequently used for driv- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M 27 191'7 Application filed September 30, 1915. I

Serial No. 53,293.

ing piles and particularly sheet metal piling, and to adapt them for this purpose they are usually provided with a frame 1 consisting of two vertical side bars having grooves 2 in their outer surfaces to receive guiding ribs 3 formed on suitable tower beams 4:. The side bars of the supporting frame are usually connected together at their lower ends by means of a plate 5 which is provided with a suitable opening to permit of the passage of the hammer head. The upper ends of the side bars of the frame are usually secured together by a rigid cross piece 6 to which is connected a ring or ring bolt 7. A suitable suspending cable is usually connected to this ring.

In the upper end of the hammer frame is rigidly mounted the power cylinder 8, in which reciprocates the piston 9. Extending downwardly from this piston is a piston rod 10 which carries at its lower end the hammer or'ram 10, the said ram being guided by the side bars of the frame. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4: this hammerhead is cylindrical in cross section and the inner surfaces of the side frames are concave to receive said cylindrical head and guide it in its reciprocating movements. The object of forming a hammer cylindrical in cross section is to permit it, and the connected piston to rotate during its operation, for a purpose which will be more fully hereinafter set forth. Connected to the bottom of the hammer is a hammer head 11 which contacts directly with the piling which is being driven. Secured to the side of the cylinder is a valve chest 12. In said chest is formed a vertical fiat wall 13 in which the portsare formed. This wall is shown as extending throughout the length of the cylinder and forms a valve seat on which slide valves operate, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth. In the valve seat'near its upper end are formed an inlet port'14e and an exhaust port 15. The inlet port opens into the cylinder near its upper end, and the exhaust port leads to theatmosphere or to a suitable pipe connected to the exhaust port. A similar set of ports 16 and 17 are formed in the valve seat, near its lower end. The inlet port 16. opens into the cylinder at its lower end, and the exhaust port 17 opens to the atmosphere or a suitable pipe connected to the said port. Mounted to slide on the valve seat near its upper and lower ends are slide valves 18 and 19, said valves governing the inlet and exhaust ports and being formed with a cavity 20 by means of which the inlet and exhaust of the power fluid to the cylinder is controlled.

Mounted in the valve chest is a valve operating lever 21, said lever being pivoted midway its ends on a stud 22, and the ends of said lever being pivotally connected to each slide valve by means of studs 23. The said valve operating lever is so shaped that when one valve is in its exhaust position the other valve will be in position to open the inlet port to permit steam or other power fluid to enter the cylinder. Connected to the upper slide valve and extending into the cylinder is a valve operating cam 24; and connected to the lower slide valve is a similar valve operating cam 25; each cam extends through a narrow slot 26 formed in the cylinder wall. The inner face 27 of the upper cam 24 inclines outwardly and downwardly so that its lower edge is within the wall of the cylinder and its upper edge extends a suitable distance into the cylinder, when the cam is in its innermost position, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner face 28 of the lower cam 25 is oppositely inclined, that is to say it inclines from its lower edge upwardly and outwardly. These valve operating cams are so disposed that when the upper one is in its innermost position and extends into the cylinder the lower one is withdrawn and lies within the wall of the cylinder. The piston, in reciprocating, contacts with the lower edge of the cam 27 when the said piston approaches the limit of its upward movement and forces said cam outwardly, thereby operating the slide valve to close the exhaust port and open the inlet port. The outward movement of the upper cam, through the medium of the valve operating lever 21, throws the lower cam to its inner position and moves the lower slide valve to close the inlet port and to connect said port with the exhaust. This reverses the motion of the piston, and when the said piston approaches the limit of its downward stroke it engages the lower cam 25 and the operation of the slide valve is reversed. Steam is admitted to the valve chest 12 through pipe 29.

In Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive is illustrated a construction in which the valve operating cams are connected to a rotary valve. In the construction illustrated in these views, 30 designates the valve chest in which is mounted the rotary valve 81, said valve having its axis parallel with the axis of the piston. The valve operating cams 82 extend through slots in the wall of the cylinder and have their inner edges beveled or inclined to correspond to the shape of the cams shown in Fig. 2. These cams are adapted to be engaged by the piston as it reciprocates, precisely as described with respect to Fig. 2.

The inner ends of the operating cams are pivotally connected on opposite sides of the center of the valve, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, said cams being pivoted on eccentric pins The cylinder is provided with the inlet ports 34 and with the exhaust ports 35. The valve is provided with the radiating flanges 36 which, as the valve is rotated, alternately place the cylinder ports in communication with the exhaust ports and with the steam supply. As the valve is rotated through the operating cams the radiating flanges move across the cylinder ports and alternately connect them with the steam supply and with the exhaust. It is, of course, manifest that any form ofrotary valve may be employed and the ports may be disposed in any suitable and convenient manner. The live steam is supplied by pipe 37 to chamber 37. This chamber is formed midway between the upper and lower inlet and exhaust ports by means of collars 40 on the valve. At the ends of the valve are formed collars 41, all of said collars fitting steam tight in the bushing '42 in the valve chest. Between the collars 40 and 41 the flanges 36 extend so that said flanges divide the spaces between each set of collars into two chambers 43 and 44, 43 being the exhaust chamber and 44 the live steam chamber. The collars 40 are cut out as at 45 to connect the steam chamber 37 with the live steam chamber 44, the cut out part of 45 of one collar being on the opposite side of the valve from the similar cut out portion of the other collar. The exhaust chambers 43 are in open communication with the exhaust ports 35. The oscillation of the valve through the earns 32 alternately places the live steam chambers and the exhaust chambers in communication with the cylinder ports 34; it, of course, being obvious that when one end of the cylinder is taking steam the other end is exhausting. The operating cams extend through and slide in slots 39 formed in the cylinder wall.

From the foregoing it is manifest that I provide a valve gear of very simple construc tion which is particularly well adapted to withstand the rough usage given to power hammers of this type. By permitting the hammer and the piston connected thereto to rotate it is manifest that the same surface will not continuously contact with the valve operating cams. By this means the wear will be distributed entirely around the piston. It is also manifest that should the cams become worn they may be readily removed without in any way disorganizing the hammer except to open the valve chest. This may be readily done by removing the bolts which secure the outer or face plate to the valve chest.

What I claim is:

1. A valve gear comprising a cylinder a piston therein, a valve chest connected to the all said cylinder, a slide valve at each end of said valve chest, an operatinglever connecting said valves together, a pivot for said lever midway its ends, and a valve operating cam connected to each valve and extending into the cylinder and adapted tobe engaged by the piston as it nears the end of its stroke in 'either direction.

2. A valve gear comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a valve chest connected to the said cylinder, a slide valve at each end of said valve chest, means at each end of the valve chest connected to the slide valve and extending into the path of the piston, and means connecting the two slide valves together to cause them to move in opposite directions when either of the valve operating means is engaged by the piston.

3. A power hammer comprising a frame, a power cylinder mounted at the upper end of said frame, a freely rotatable reciprocating piston in said cylinder, a piston rod extending downwardly from said piston, a valve chest connected to the cylinder, a slide valve at each end of said chest, a valve operating cam connected to each valve and extending into the cylinder and adapted to be engaged by the piston as it nears the end of its stroke, means connecting the two slide valves together to cause them to move in opposite directions when either cam is engaged by the piston, and a vertically disposed cylindrical hammer rigidly attached to the lower end of said piston rod so as to rotate and reciprocate therewith, the sides of said frame having concave vertical guideways in which the cylindrical freely rotatable hammer is adapted to reciprocate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JAMES, HAMILTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

